The JD/MBA Program at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the James J. Nance College of Business Administration

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1 The JD/MBA Program at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the James J. Nance College of Business Administration An Informational Guide for Law Students All questions concerning the joint program may be directed to Professor Chris Sagers in the College of Law, LB 155, (216) , or Bruce Gottschalk, Graduate Advisor in the College of Business, BU 219F, (216) ,

2 Contents Nature and Goals of the Program... 1 Program Requirements... 1 Requirements for Graduation... 1 Specializations Within the College of Business... 2 Admission Procedures... 2 In General... 2 Taking the GMAT... 4 Application Deadline... 4 Declaration of Intent... 4 Tuition... 5 Financial Aid, Career Services, and Other Administrative Services... 5 Financial Aid... 5 Career Services... 5 Other Administrative Services... 5

3 Nature and Goals of the Program The JD/MBA program at Cleveland State University allows students to pursue a complete education in law and a complete education in business administration in four years of full-time study. 1 The program prepares the student for all aspects of business and business law practice, from outside business planning and litigation, to in-house counsel representation, to positions of business managerial responsibility. Though the JD program alone can prepare a law student to represent business clients, the joint program adds a richer exposure to the business strategy, quantitative skills and economic reasoning that are part and parcel of the world of management today, and provides as well an added measure of marketability. Graduates of the Cleveland State dual degree programs have found a broad range of employment opportunities in law firms, corporations, the public sector, and with not-for-profits. While quantitative and economic study are core components of graduate business training, the MBA curriculum of the College of Business is designed to accommodate students with little or no background in these areas. Students with more advanced preparation may be able to waive basic quantitative requirements in the business curriculum. Program Requirements A. Requirements for Graduation The program may be completed in four years of full-time study. Part-time students have eight years to complete the program. The Juris Doctor requirements will be fulfilled by the completion of 80 semester credit hours of work in the College of Law, including all required courses, as well as ten credit hours transferred from Master of Business Administration courses. 2 The MBA requirements will be fulfilled by the completion of a minimum of 22 credit hours of required Level III MBA courses, depending on the student s prior education, 3 as well as nine credit hours transferred from law courses. 4 Students enrolled 1 Part-time students have eight years to complete the program. 2 Due to law school accreditation requirements, MBA credits can be transferred for JD credit only if the MBA credits are earned after the student is admitted in the JD program. 3 Students with no undergraduate background in business may need to take several basic business courses, which could total up to 23 additional credit hours. 1

4 in the Joint Program are not permitted to take elective courses outside the Colleges of Law and Business. B. Specializations Within the College of Business Students in the JD/MBA program are currently permitted to pursue only the traditional MBA within the College of Business. The traditional MBA provides a generalist education to prepare students for managerial roles in a variety of business contexts. 5 Admission Procedures A. In General Separate Applications and Sequence of Study. To be admitted into the joint degree program, students must apply separately to and be admitted separately by the College of Business and the College of Law. Applicants who are not currently enrolled in either degree program may apply for both programs independently. Students who enroll in this manner normally spend their first year exclusively in the JD program, their second year exclusively in the MBA program, and their third and fourth years taking courses in both programs. While this sequence of study is not mandatory, it has certain advantages for most students. First, as a matter of accreditation requirements, the College of Law cannot give credit for coursework done prior to entering law school. Devoting the second year of study to the College of Business, and taking no law courses that year, may also reduce a student s overall tuition expense. Current students in the College of Law may apply for admission to the College of Business at any time prior to their graduation from law school. 4 Students admitted to the joint program may apply for graduation from the JD program before they have completed all necessary requirements for graduation from the MBA program. However, students doing so will be able to apply only 8 credits of MBA credit toward graduation from the JD program, rather than Students in the joint JD/MBA program are not eligible to pursue the MBA in Health Care Administration jointly with a JD, because the College of Business is not permitted to give a sufficient number of elective credits for Health Care Administration students for courses taken in other departments. This rule is the result of accreditation and regulatory requirements. Students desiring to pursue both the JD and the MBA in Health Care Administration may complete the degree programs separately. Likewise, the College of Business has not currently approved the transfer of law credits for students in other graduate business programs (namely, the Master of Accountancy, the Master of Computer & Information Systems, and the Master of Labor Relations & Human Resources). 2

5 Contents and Procedures of Application. All application materials for admission to the College of Business should be sent by mail or delivered in person to the Graduate Admissions Office ( GAO ), at the following address: Graduate Admissions Office Rhodes Tower West, Room 204 (Campus Box G) Cleveland State University 2121 Euclid Ave. RTW204 Cleveland, OH Applications should include the following materials: Application Form: The application form may be submitted in hard copy along with your other materials, but also can be completed online at edu/admissions/gradapp.html. Transcript: Request transmission of one official transcript from every college or university previously attended (including a transcript reflecting any work completed in the College of Law prior to application to the College of Business). Transcripts must be received in the GAO directly from the originating institutions. GMAT Score: Applicants must request that their GMAT score be reported to the College of Business. Application Fee: Applicants must submit payment of the $30 Graduate Application Fee to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Decisions on admission will not be rendered until this fee is received. 6 For admission to the College of Business, students need not submit letters of recommendation, personal statements, or writing samples. 6 The GAO will not waive this fee even though you may already have paid an application fee when you applied for law school. This is the case even if you apply to the Colleges of Business and Law simultaneously. 3

6 B. Taking the GMAT In General. Applicants to the College of Business must submit scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test ( GMAT ) and applicants to the College of Law must submit scores from the Law School Admissions Test ( LSAT ). Thus, all applicants to the joint JD/MBA program must take both the GMAT and the LSAT. Students may sit for the GMAT at a location at Case Western University or at several other locations in and around the Cleveland metropolitan area. You may schedule your test appointment and check on seat availability online at or by phone at GMAT- NOW. Much more information is available at Studying for the GMAT. Cleveland State University maintains its own test preparation course, which is offered through the Division of Continuing Education, (216) Space in this course is limited, so advance application is advised. Several private entities also exist that provide GMAT test preparation services. These include The Princeton Review ( REVIEW or and Kaplan (1-800-KAP-TEST or as well as others. C. Application Deadline Your application to the College of Business should be submitted not less than six weeks prior to the semester of the desired admission. Applications received after that time are considered by the College of Business on a case-by-case basis as space considerations permit. Current students in the College of Law may apply for admission to the College of Business at any time prior to their graduation from law school. D. Declaration of Intent Once you have been admitted to both the College of Law and the College of Business, you must complete the Declaration of Intent available from the College of Law Records Officer, Marcie Rechner, whose office is located in the Student Services Center. The Declaration of Intent allows the College of Law to keep track of all students pursuing two degrees jointly. The Declaration does not bind you to complete both programs, but it is a requirement for your graduation with joint degree status. 4

7 Tuition The Colleges of Law and Business charge different rates of tuition (tuition in the College of Law has traditionally been higher). The rate of tuition to be paid by a particular student during a particular year will depend on the number of credit hours taken in each of the two schools. In a semester in which a student takes courses in only one school, the student will pay the normal tuition to be charged for that school. However, tuition may be calculated according to a per-credit hour formula in semesters in which a student takes courses in both schools, with the design of charging the least possible tuition. Financial Aid, Career Services, and Other Administrative Services The JD/MBA program is jointly administered by the Colleges of Law and Business. Students in the program are entitled to the full benefit of all administrative services provided by either College. A. Financial Aid The College of Law maintains its own financial aid services, administered by Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid Christopher Lucak, LB 137A, (216) , clucak@law.csuohio.edu. Students in the JD/MBA program are entitled to make use of the College of Law s financial aid services at any point during their course of study, even in semesters in which they are not enrolled in law classes, and are encouraged to do so. B. Career Services The College of Law maintains its own Office of Career Services, administered by Jayne Geneva, LB 137B, (216) , jayne. geneva@law.csuohio.edu. Students in the JD/MBA program are entitled to make use of the College of Law s career planning services at any point during the course of their study. Career planning services are also provided to students in the College of Business through the University s Career Services Center, which is located in Rhodes Tower West, Room 280. The Career Services Center may be contacted at (216) C. Other Administrative Services Other services are available to JD/MBA students through the College of Law, the College of Business and Cleveland State University. All questions concerning these services or the joint program should be directed to Professor Chris Sagers in the College of Law, LB 155, (216) , csagers@law.csuohio.edu, or Bruce Gottschalk, Graduate Advisor in the College of Business, BU 219F, (216) , b.gottschalk@csuohio.edu. 5